Sonicare Toothbrush Caused a Tinnitus Spike?

Could a Sonicare toothbrush be to blame for my tinnitus going from 5 to 10?

 

No. I use it every day. Doesn't change my tinnitus.

 

Are you sticking it in your ear?

 

It's the only thing I can remember changing since my tinnitus went from 5 to 10!

 

Hi, @Grrr! It's often impossible to tell exactly what changes our tinnitus. But I use a Sonicare every day and it doesn't bother me.
So it sounds like you just started using this toothbrush? If so, go back to hand brushing. If your tinnitus goes down, you'll know the Sonicare was the cause.

 

It's easy to make false correlations when it comes to stuff like this. We get so desperate to know what is going on with our health, that sometimes it is really easy to think, "X came before tinnitus, so that must be the cause". Not saying that it is a false correlation, but that often does happen. Tinnitus is such a tricky problem that it is often extremely difficult to know what the cause is unless it is something just plain obvious, e.g. shooting a rifle without hearing protection.

 

I can see that now. Frankly, I've had it for years but suddenly owned that it was ME and not the trucks/machines in the street about a week ago (looow frequency rumble).

But it really went nuts about the time I bought my new brush. (AWESOME by the way.... much better than my Oral-B!) So I am trying to connect dots that may not actually be there.

 

I realize this post is years old, but I have the same question. A couple of weeks ago my tinnitus started getting really bad. It didn't occur to me until a few days ago that it might be related to the vibration/noise from the Sonicare toothbrush I started using about a month ago. It's a fantastic toothbrush, but absolutely nothing is worth increasing my tinnitus. I'll try not using it for a few days to see if there's any difference in my tinnitus, but it's possible increased damage is already done.

 

I'm with you on this. Something traumatic with our internal health occurs for no apparent reason and were like "Oh man, that was the day my neighbor shared chocolate chip cookies with me! It must be the cookies!" Or,.."I just put on these new socks. These new socks caused a spike in my tinnitus!"

 

I felt the same from a Braun electric shaver. I stopped using it just in case it was the culprit, but my tinnitus spike has never gone down. I guess I will never know what permanently spiked it. All I know is that most people with sound induced tinnitus from hearing loss cannot handle average everyday noises like a healthy person. It is virtually impossible to enjoy life without occasional noisy situations that are not considered harmful to most people's hearing but are to ours.

 

My electric toothbrush always results in a minor spike after usage (2 or 3 points increase on 10-scale), which fades away in roughly 15 min. My T is sensitive to external frequencies though (originates in neck issues), so it makes perfect sense that vibrations to the teeth/mouth have a certain effect. Therefore, this occurrence never bothered me.

 

I’ve had the same experience. Tinnitus peaked at the same point as starting to use a sonicare toothbrush.

 

Hi all. I realize this is a very old thread. But I wanted to share something.

I was concerned about tinnitus in only one ear that resulted from using the Sonicare toothbrush and found this thread circa 2017.

It took quite a while to realize the toothbrush was the cause. But eventually I went back to a regular toothbrush and the tinnitus went from a 6 down to a 1.

About four years later, I woke up one morning with profound hearing loss in that same ear and severe vertigo That eventually went away, but an MRI revealed a benign tumor called an acoustic neuroma. The tumor is very rare (1 in 100,000) and has a few treatment options. I had it removed and I have recovered fully except for loss of hearing in the affected ear.

You would never know I had a brain surgery unless you noticed the scar. I am not trying to frighten any of you. But I want to urge any of y'all who have tinnitus in only one ear to tell your doctor about it. You will need to get an MRI with contrast. Outcomes tend to be better if detected earlier. Please reply if you would like to chat about it.

Dave

 

No, the poster has a really good question. Vibrations from the brush are transmitted through your jaw into your inner ear.

And that's why I'm not going to the dentist again. I scrapped ice off the windshield the other day and my tinnitus has spiked, also dehydrated.

I've been finding little things set my tinnitus off, then it might not go down again.

Toothbrush seems innocuous but not sure.

 

I also have problems with super sonic toothbrushes. I got new neighbors and it seems they have their bath above my sleeping room and last night and this morning I heard very high frequencies that spiked my tinnitus dramatically I will ask them if I am right and they use a Sonicare toothbrush

My hearing through hyperacusis is just a mess when I can hear this through walls!

 

I used an electric toothbrush for years without problems. Then after a permanent exacerbation about 5 years ago I could no longer use electric toothbrushes as it would greatly increase my tinnitus. I tried various kinds. I finally thought a Quip would work out, and it IS the quietest, but nope, it is still too much. So, I just use a manual toothbrush and have no problems.

Just because one or many people with tinnitus don't have an issue with electric toothbrushes, it is still the case that some people's tinnitus can be quite sensitive and does react. I am very careful about assigning causation to irritants unless it is very clear and repeatable. Dismissing these observations is what the first ENT I saw did when I told him about the trauma that caused my hyperacusis and tinnitus. His final diagnosis was that I was nuts, didn't have a medical problem and needed to see a counselor. What a jerk. Fortunately, another ENT I saw had experience with this and correctly diagnosed the problems.